PIMS gap analysis against ISO 27701, built on top of your existing or in-progress ISO 27001 ISMS
Privacy Information Management
ISO 27701 Certification
Privacy Information Management
ISO 27701 Certification
Turn Your Privacy Program Into Evidence, Not Just Policy
ISO 27701 certification extends your ISO 27001 ISMS into a full privacy information management system, giving regulators, customers, and partners structured proof that you manage personal data responsibly, not just a privacy policy on your website. We build the system, close the gaps, and get you certified without stalling the products that rely on that data.
The challenge
The Problem We're Usually Called In For
Most privacy gaps aren't dramatic. They're a data retention schedule nobody enforces, a third-party processor with access nobody reviewed after onboarding, or a data subject access request process that exists on paper but has never actually been tested. None of it becomes urgent until a regulator inquires, a customer's privacy questionnaire asks a question you can't confidently answer, or a breach happens and the response process gets tested for real.
We work with DPOs, Heads of Privacy, General Counsel, and CISOs at organizations handling significant volumes of personal data, particularly in SaaS, healthcare, financial services, and adtech. Some of you already hold ISO 27001 and want to extend it. Some are building privacy and security in parallel. Others are responding to a customer or regulator that specifically expects ISO 27701.
Scope
What the Certification Process Covers
Data mapping and processing inventory across your systems, vendors, and personal data flows
Privacy risk assessment (DPIA-aligned) for higher-risk processing activities
Data subject rights process review, including access, deletion, and rectification requests that actually work under time pressure
Third-party and processor management, including data processing agreements and vendor risk review
Consent, retention, and data minimization policy review
Breach notification process review, tested against realistic scenarios rather than assumed to work
Internal audit support and certification body liaison through Stage 1 and Stage 2
Engagement
How the Engagement Works
A proven 7-step consulting process from discovery to sustained process excellence.
Step 01
Discovery & Scoping
Step 02
Data Mapping & Gap Assessment
Step 03
Build & Remediation
Step 04
Internal Audit & Management Review
Step 05
Certification Support
A short call to understand your data landscape, existing ISO 27001 status, and what's driving certification. We agree on scope before assessment begins.
We map how personal data actually moves through your organization and benchmark current practice against ISO 27701's requirements.
We help close the gaps, from data subject rights processes to vendor agreements, integrated with your existing ISMS rather than run as a separate program.
We run the internal audit ISO 27701 requires and support the management review that certification depends on.
We prepare your team for the certification body's audits and help close findings quickly.
Outcomes
Proof, Not Promises
SaaS company extending an existing ISO 27001 certification
the data mapping exercise found a legacy analytics vendor with far broader access to customer data than the current use case required. Scoping that access down closed a finding before it reached the auditor.
Client outcome
Healthcare technology provider under customer privacy scrutiny
a data subject access request process existed but had never been tested end-to-end. A dry run surfaced a two-week delay risk that was fixed before it became a real complaint.
Client outcome
FAQ
Questions We Get Asked Before Signing
Yes. ISO 27701 is an extension to an existing ISO 27001 or ISO 27002-based management system, not a standalone certification. If you don't have ISO 27001 yet, we can scope both together.
Typically two to four months, since the underlying management system infrastructure already exists and the work focuses on privacy-specific controls.
It strengthens and evidences it. ISO 27701 maps closely to GDPR requirements in particular, so most of the work reinforces obligations you already carry rather than adding new ones.
Typically your DPO or privacy lead, someone from security or IT, and legal for data processing agreement review. We keep the time commitment focused and scheduled around your team.
Significantly. ISO 27701 is increasingly the specific certification enterprise customers ask for in vendor security and privacy reviews.
It's audited alongside your ISO 27001 surveillance cycle, so ongoing maintenance is combined rather than duplicated.
Ready to Prove Your Privacy Program Is More Than a Policy Page?
Anyone can publish a privacy policy. ISO 27701 certification proves there's a real system behind it, one that holds up when a regulator, customer, or breach puts it to the test.
Schedule a 30-minute privacy readiness call and find out where your gaps are. When you reach out, we'll ask for your name, work email, company, role, and a brief note on your current ISO 27001 status. That's enough for us to come prepared.